By Juliet Jacob Ochenje
World Health Organization (WHO) Team Lead, Vaccine Preventable Diseases, and Polio Eradication, Dr. Kofi Boateng says the global agency will partner Nigeria to cover children who missed out on immunization between 2019 – 2021.
About 6.2 million children are targeted under the partnership.
Dr Boateng confirmed the plan at the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) engagement with State on Optimized Outreach Strategy, in Abuja.
According to Boateng, “We have agreed that every year, we would reduce the burden of zero-dose by 15 percent (930,000),”
Executive Director of the National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA), Dr. Faisal Shuaib said “the country targets 80 percent immunization by 2028, the 80 percent target, as clearly articulated in our strategy document developed in 2018 is going to be over a period of 10 years.
“So, by 2028 We hope to achieve it, but one thing that I can assure you is that even ahead of 2028, We will be able to achieve this coverage. “He assured.
“We are improving the leadership ‘s building capacity of leaders that is on national level. We are increasing monitoring of the provision making sure that when health workers go from national to the state and from states to the local government level.
He said NPHCDA has evolved an integrated these are tools that we are using to make sure that we are able to achieve our targets while also making sure that there is accountability” he said.
